Welcome to the Madhouse
by thechokesonyou
Summary: A series of short drabbles exploring the behind-the-scenes of the Arkham Asylum video game. For a more detailed synopsis, see the beginning of the first chapter!


**_Hello, all! I know I keep going AWOL, and I apologize for that. I also know that apologies are probably getting old, and I apologize for that, too. Uh... Oops._**

 ** _I wanted to give a small re-cap about my ideas for this story(ies). I recently was playing Batman: Arkham Asylum again for the umpteenth time and realized that while Doctor Penelope Young is crucial to the story, she really doesn't get a lot of screen time, let alone lines and/or depth. This bothers me. As I'm sure most of you know, a lot of my writing is behind the scenes, things taken from well known parts of Batman comics/games/movies and edited to show what we didn't see in the original. That's my plan for this._**

 ** _This started as a small drabble about Dr. Young, but I thought... Why stop now? I love this idea, and there's so much of this game that needs to be explored. Some scenes that I plan to play around with in the near future are such as Ivy in her cell, Harley/Gordon in the medical center, Scarecrow's experiments, and a few scenes of Puddin' here and there. Obviously._**

 ** _These are short and sweet (per my usual style) but hopefully you will enjoy them, anyways._**

 ** _Reviews are amazing and helpful (and motivating) so never feel shy to leave a comment. I practically always reply to reviews and PMs!_**

 **The Good Doctor: Penny Young**

"Hey, Doc! Pencil me in for tomorrow at four! We have a lot of _catching up to do…_ "

Penelope Young's spine locked in place at the sound of that voice. She had known the Joker was on his way, had been preparing herself to see him face to face once again, but it hadn't worked. She was paralyzed in fear by barely three sentences. She looked up to see him — that signature grin spread wide, purple suit as bright and ridiculous as ever — and swallowed thickly. He was staring directly at her as he was slowly wheeled away towards solitary. Hopefully. Shifting her gaze over a few inches, she locked eyes with Officer Frank Boles and was greeted with a small nod. Penelope dropped the eye contact immediately.

Yes, she knew what had to be done now. She'd known for some time and had tried and tried to get him to leave her alone. But no. The Joker wanted what the Joker wanted, and what the Joker wanted was what she had. The doctor quickly turned on her heel and marched her way towards the entrance of the asylum. If she could just make it to her office before he did, get her notes… Maybe burn them? Eat them? No, she knew the Joker well enough to know that if she did that, he'd happily cut her stomach open just for the fun of it (even knowing the notes weren't salvageable). He just needed an excuse to be a savage, and she didn't want to give him one. Before she reached the next room, her shoulder was grabbed by a rough hand and she was whirled around into a strong grip. A thick palm covered her mouth and nose and she panicked, struggling to breathe. Her attacker's skin reeked of strong alcohol. _Boles. You piece of shit._

"Hey. Hey, Doc, calm the fuck down!" He hissed in her ear.

"Get off of me!" Young stage-whispered back, smacking at his hand.

"You really think gettin' an attitude with me right now is smart? While Joker is this close? Shut up and listen."

"I don't need to listen. I know the plan."

"You might know it, that doesn't mean you're gonna do it."

"Like you said. Getting an attitude right now isn't smart."

Boles grinned, the scar on his face stretching strangely as the skin pulled. "You know when you aren't being a huge bitch, you're actually not too bad lookin', Doc. All those frowns and pouts all the time, gonna drive a guy crazy."

She was disgusted by his crude language and cringed. "Well I suppose you're in the right place, aren't you?" She turned to leave the room, gasping when he grabbed her bicep in a bruising grip.

"Don't talk shit, Young, or you'll find yourself in a worse position than you could've ever imagined." His voice was a harsh whisper across her cheek and she coughed as the smell of whiskey crawled up her sinuses. She felt like her skin was burning.

"Sober up, Frank. I can still report you."

He scoffed and took another swig from the flask he carried at his belt. Penelope was gone in a flash, running as fast as her heels would allow her to. When she was a safe distance away, she leaned against the closest wall and allowed herself a moment of panic. She had held it together in front of him well enough, but the adrenaline was wearing off and she was left with nothing more than terrible, horrible nerves. Her body shook and she whimpered, sliding down the wall until she was sitting, resting her head on her knees. Loud sobs racked her body and she wiped desperately at her eyes.

 _It's not over yet, Penny. You've still got a whole night to go._


End file.
